My child will be flying to "Grandma camp" this summer alone. I will take her to the gate but I am worried about the return trip since there is no paperwork on being an unaccompanied minor since she is old enough now to fly unescorted.
Anyone have ideas of what to use for identification so that she can get through security? We have an old passport (expired 2006), school id from 2008, and birth certificate or do we need to go to the Motor Vehicle department and get an id without the driving option.

Passengers who do not or cannot present an acceptable ID will have to provide information to the Transportation Security Officer performing Travel Document Checking duties in order to verify their identity. Passengers who are cleared through this process may be subject to additional screening. Passengers whose identity cannot be verified by TSA may not be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint or onto an airplane.

About 4 years ago I was at the airport without any ID and simply got SSSS'd. It actually was faster than going through the normal line. However, I do not know, nor have I heard what their policy is today. The website states that they MAY deny boarding. - not very helpful.

My child will be flying to "Grandma camp" this summer alone. I will take her to the gate but I am worried about the return trip since there is no paperwork on being an unaccompanied minor since she is old enough now to fly unescorted.
Anyone have ideas of what to use for identification so that she can get through security? We have an old passport (expired 2006), school id from 2008, and birth certificate or do we need to go to the Motor Vehicle department and get an id without the driving option.

Why not get the kid a state ID? The one that looks like a driver's license? You can get them from the DMV for $20 or less in most places.

Correct, but IIRC the TSA doesn't really require ID for anyone over 18 either Just means you'll go through a little more trouble if you lose your wallet or something.

I flew MDW-BWI last month. I forgot my driver's license and TSA wasn't going to let me fly unless I could produce at least 2 items with my name (like credit cards, of which I had about 10) and something with my photo on it. Fortunately, my Costco Amex card has a photo on the back, and it is the only thing in my wallet that qualified.

Not sure if that's correct TSA procedure, but that's what they were enforcing.

It just occurred to me that I could pull up my Facebook page with my name and photo if needed, but I guess that's not secure enough for their purposes.

Passengers who do not or cannot present an acceptable ID will have to provide information to the Transportation Security Officer performing Travel Document Checking duties in order to verify their identity. Passengers who are cleared through this process may be subject to additional screening. Passengers whose identity cannot be verified by TSA may not be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint or onto an airplane.

That's true - However, the preceding paragraph on the TSA website states:

"Effective June 21, 2008, adult passengers (18 and over) are required to show a U.S. federal or state-issued photo ID that contains the following: name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper-resistant feature in order to be allowed to go through the checkpoint and onto their flight."

That's true - However, the preceding paragraph on the TSA website states:

"Effective June 21, 2008, adult passengers (18 and over) are required to show a U.S. federal or state-issued photo ID that contains the following: name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper-resistant feature in order to be allowed to go through the checkpoint and onto their flight."

That's 100% insane if there is no provision for someone who loses their wallet or has it stolen while away from home.

My brother-in-law had his wallet stolen last summer and they let him through with no ID whatsoever... so I'm sure you can get on a plane without an ID if it is genuinely lost... he lived a couple thousand miles away. What are they going to do, make him drive 2000 miles without a driver's license, without credit cards so he can get his photo ID replaced?

Say what you will about TSA, but at least for the moment, they are a bit more practical than that.

But as you stated, a 14 year old would not need an ID to get on a plane. Good find, thanks for the answer.

That's true - However, the preceding paragraph on the TSA website states:

"Effective June 21, 2008, adult passengers (18 and over) are required to show a U.S. federal or state-issued photo ID that contains the following: name, date of birth, gender, expiration date and a tamper-resistant feature in order to be allowed to go through the checkpoint and onto their flight."

That's 100% insane if there is no provision for someone who loses their wallet or has it stolen while away from home.

My brother-in-law had his wallet stolen last summer and they let him through with no ID whatsoever... so I'm sure you can get on a plane without an ID if it is genuinely lost... he lived a couple thousand miles away. What are they going to do, make him drive 2000 miles without a driver's license, without credit cards so he can get his photo ID replaced?

Well, based on the other part of that text posted by lougord:

"Passengers who do not or cannot present an acceptable ID will have to provide information to the Transportation Security Officer performing Travel Document Checking duties in order to verify their identity. Passengers who are cleared through this process may be subject to additional screening. Passengers whose identity cannot be verified by TSA may not be allowed to enter the screening checkpoint or onto an airplane."

I interpret this to mean, as others have described, that if you cannot produce the required state or federal-issued ID, you may be asked other questions and/or be subject to additional screening. However, my understanding is that, even without proper ID, there would have to some sort of exceptional circumstance or suspicion for TSA to deny a pax passage through security.